Israel claims to have destroyed roughly 60 percent of the hundreds of tunnels between Gaza and Egypt, and significantly weaken Hamas. “Our fight is not with the people of Gaza,” Olmert said at the Tel Aviv press conference following the cabinet meeting. “We left Gaza in 2005 with the intention of never returning,” he said, referring to Israel's unilateral withdrawal of troops and settlers from the territory under former prime minister Ariel Sharon. For the full video watch Tytandra007‘s translated clip below:

“if Hamas entirely ends its rocket fire on Israel, Israel will consider an IDF withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. If that did not occur, the IDF will continue to operate in order to protect our citizens.”

“Hamas leaders are in hiding, many of its members have been killed, its rocket factories have been destroyed, its smuggling routes through the tunnels have been blown up, its ability to move weapons in the Gaza Strip has been reduced and the launching sites where most of the rockets are fired are under Israeli military control.”

Only with a ceasefire (or peace agreement in the utopian situation) will thie fighting end. This is the reality. We cannot erase a terrorist organization with a single thrust. It is not possible to totally change without a gradual process. We must not expect more. If so, what achievement can Israel get from this war in Gaza?

Destroying Hamas infrastructure is an achievement? I am not so sure. Wiping out Hamas and other terrorist organizations? Everyone who knows some history of terrorist organizations knows that it is not possible. Prevention of smuggling through the Philadelfi axis (Egypt)? That can be considered an achievement but can easily be bypassed (qassam rockets can be created easily at home).

The release of Gilad Shalit is the only achievement that Israel can reach with the end of the fighting in Gaza. Gilad Shalit who has been held hostage by Hamas, is the only one who can be grasped in Israel and throughout the world as a powerful achievement from the war. Israel must place his release as a prerequisite to a ceasefire with Hamas.

A common, pessimistic perspective in regards to the ceasefire can be viewed through Rafi Glick's argument- that the ceasefire agreement will not remove Hamas missile threat in the south of Israel:

The ceasefire might bring a temporary quiet period, but will not remove the missile threat. Sharon and Olmert's governments brought upon us this Hamas support in Gaza, as they threaten the center of our country with long-range missiles. It began with a unilateral withdraw lacking an agreement, continued when Hamas was accepted as a legitimate party in the elections, and further continued with our policy of restraint when qassam missiles were fired and the constant arming of Hamas with long range missiles.

Hamas and Hizbollah missiles already meet over the heads of the Gush Dan residents. In a war over their ability to pose danger, the Iranians and their allies, Hamas and Hizbollah, have already won. These home-made bombs manufactured by Hamas, paralyze a million civilians. One quarter of a million kids, and twenty thousand students. Some forty percent of the workforce in the south is paralyzed.

The ceasefire even with the Israeli conditions, will maintain the missile threat over the center of the country, just like the ceasefire and agreements that ended the second Lebanon war did not free Israel from the threat of Hizbollah missiles, and even brough Hizbollah to participate in the Lebanese government.

The collapse of Hamas rule in Gaza is the only solution to the missile threat, although I am doubtful that Olmert's gov't (Livni and Barak) are willing to pay the price of taking this to the end. Obviously there are international entities which will force us to end the fighting before we accomplish the goal.

Don't believe anyone who tells you that this war is meant to remove the missile threat. The one who ignored the cancerous tumor in the form of Hamas, will not be able to remove the missile threat. The ceasefire might bring quiet, but the threat will remain.

Carl wonders if Israel may have adopted a unilateral ceasefire because of Mubarak's Saturday speech:

“I ask Israel today to end its military operations immediately,” Mubarak said in an address on state television of the 22-day-old war which has killed more than 1,200 Palestinians and left much of Gaza in ruins.
“I call on its leadership for an immediate unconditional ceasefire and a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Strip,” he said, as the Israeli security cabinet prepared to consider halting its offensive.
Mubarak called in his speech on Israeli and Palestinian leaders to “heed reason and conscience” to end the bloodshed in Gaza.
Mubarak insisted that Egypt was securing its border with the Gaza Strip, and Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said his country would not be bound by a just-inked US-Israeli deal to stop arms smuggling to Gaza.

However, with the so called ceasefire in place, and as today unfolds, an exchange of fire has already been reported to take place between IDF and Hamas in Gaza. And as I finish writing this post, six qassam missiles are reported to have hit Sderot. What are your opinions on this unilateral ceasefire? Can it work and if so, how long will it last? We'll be doing our best to follow these events closely here on Global Voices.

13 comments

Jews gave the world – single god, Newton, Einstein, even the key contributors to the very technologies for the goddamn rockets of Hamas

Let us see what we got from the great brotherhood of arabs in last 200 years: Bin La Din, Suicide bombers, Oppressed women, Destruction of the ancient Buddhas in Afganistan, 9/11, uncontrolled population growth that will lead to poverty even in heaven.

Who will I support in the struggle for survival of a life style – Hamas genertors of Einstein generators?

Israel unilaterally declared a ceasefire yesterday. Of course it quickly vanished when Hamas fired five rockets into Israel. Hamas does not want to cease fire unless it is on their therms. They are concerned about looking defeated in the eyes of the Arab world. In truth, they have been defeated from a military standpoint. The vanishing Israeli cease fire

Dani, I can name to you more Jews that have helped the world, God bless those JEws, I can also name to you thousands of Arabs who have contributed to the advancement of humanity. Hamas ewas founded in the larte 1980s. Israeli occupation started way before that, and up until this time Israelis are still occuying large areas of lands that does not belong to them, and killing thousands of innocent of people with the excuse of protecting themselves. Why don’t you give Arabs the excuse of killing Israelis in order to kick them of their lands?

As of the Buddhas in Afghanistand and Bin Ladin, nobody in Palestine cares about what’s happening there. The trick that Jews have played very well is linking Palestinians with al Qaeda and 9/11, a big lie that have worked in the US unfortuately.

Dear Israel
I’m glad you have ended the carnage for a few hours.
The dead will be buried, and among the mourners stand the next generation of suicide bombers and Hamas members. As you must have heard many times before, madness is repeating the same thing and expecting a different result. Remember operation Summer Rain in 2006? Yes, you once again matched the 100:1 kill ratio, with ease. I just wonder why you think the end result will be better this time.
To be fair, you and your enemies are equally mad. But because you enjoy complete military dominance, I wish you would try something you have never done in my lifetime: No occupation, no settlements, and no siege. The Saudi peace plan, signed by every Arab nation, says you would then have peace.
I know that the US congress, AIPAC, and those waiting for the Rapture won’t let you try this, but if, against all hope, you did, and some fringe group of lunatics continued to send rockets, please do kill them.
But for now, spare me the self-defense stories.
Hamas is not a military threat to anyone. I repeat, no threat. Despite their crazy rhetoric they couldn’t possibly take one square inch from you. You know this, and I know this, which is why it sounds so silly when you hysterically claim to be in an “existential fight”. Please, you won the war a long time ago. It was a crushing victory for you. Be glad. It’s over. What’s left of the Palestinians are angry, powerless, traumatized fanatics who do desperate things to end the siege of their ghetto. Just don’t tell me they’re a threat. Satellite guided missiles easily take them out as they ride their donkey carts, something you have demonstrated on many occasions.

In case you prefer numbers:
Hamas rockets killed 18 over 8 years, or about 2 per year (Reuters).
Israeli security forces killed 810 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip in 2006 and 2007 (Shin Bet security service chief Yuval Diskin)
Israel killed 21 during the latest cease-fire alone (the count varies, 21 was the lowest I found).
Hamas killed no Israelis during the latest cease-fire.
Before the war UN hospitals had blamed some 200 patient deaths on the siege.
These are the reason I don’t buy the self-defense story.
Sincerely,
Erik

Greece intercepted a shipment of hundreds of containers with weapons from USA going to ISRAEL. Greek people out to keep the arms EMBARGO on the ZIONIST TERRORIST STATE for all the Palestinian Woman and Children who were murder by these heartless TUGS. These criminal are to be held responsible for their CRIMES in the world court.